One of the Last 4 Northern White Rhinos in the World Has Died

Nola, an "iconic" animal at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park and one of the world's last remaining northern white rhinos, died on Sunday, according to zoo officials. There are now only three northern white rhinos left on the planet.

At 41 years-old, Nola was considered elderly by rhino standards and had recently faced a number ailments related to her old age, including a chronic bacterial infection. The infection prompted veterinarians at the zoo to perform surgery on Nola earlier this month, but her condition did not improve.

"In the last 24 hours, Nola’s condition worsened and we made the difficult decision to euthanize her," the San Diego Zoo Safari Park said in a statement posted to Facebook. "We’re absolutely devastated by this loss, but resolved to fight even harder to #EndExtinction."

Nola had lived at the zoo since 1989. Zoo officials shared the following statement on Facebook, urging people to share their memories of the beloved rhino:

It is with heavy hearts that we announce the death of Nola, a critically endangered northern white rhino who lived at...

Posted by San Diego Zoo on Sunday, November 22, 2015 Northern white rhinos were pushed to the brink of extinction due to poaching for their horn, according to the zoo. The last three northern white rhinos are protected from poachers by armed guards at a sanctuary in Kenya. Experts at the zoo have collected genetic material in hopes of creating assisted reproductive technologies to ultimately save the northern white rhino from extinction. Let's hope they are successful.

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